Chico Racing and the Ontario Cycling Association are delighted to announce new and exciting changes to Canada's most popular mountain bike race series. 2011 will bring not only a brand new venue and race dates, but also new race categories!

The Series has shifted one of the most popular venues, Albion Hills (previously Ontario Cup #2) from Mother's Day weekend to June 12th. This date change is partially to give Albion's new trails a chance to settle, and for the launch of Mountain Bike Month at Albion Hills - culminating at the end of June with North America's Largest 24 hour, the Summer Solstice on June 25-26.

"We moved the date for Albion Hills because this will allow us to showcase three brand new singletrack trails at this very popular stop on the O-Cup race calendar," explains Chico Racing's Course Designer Sean Ruppel.

Taking the place of the mid-May date is the awesome Woodnewton venue located just outside of Uxbridge. Woodnewton, a brand new venue in 2010, has also seen a few exciting course updates, including a rock garden and a new technical uphill section. Adding to this Plastiglas Ontario Cup event is a Learn to Race Clinic on May 14th for anyone wanting to update their skills or get involved in racing.

Also new for 2011 is the addition of Highlands Nordic, near Collingwood. This brand new course will test riders in September for Ontario XC MTB Championships, and promises to ride moderately technical, with a couple fun climbs. "For those that have done some riding in the area, a very good description is a combination of Kolapore and Three Stage," says course builder Scott Holmes of HBCC.

In addition to venue updates, the Plastiglas Ontario Cup Series will also undergo a couple category changes. With the exploding youth movement in Ontario, the OCA has lowered the racing age to 9, instead of 10. This means there is a brand new category of mini mountain bikers - the Squirts for ages 9 and 10. This shake-up also means Peewee will be for 11 and 12 year-olds only. The youth segment isn't the only category changing things up for 2011, as changes are in store for men 50-plus. For these hardened veterans, there will be a brand new category; the 50-54 Expert Male Division.

"This should help spread out riders of varying abilities, and make racing a little more forgiving for less experienced riders in the 50 plus age category," states President of Chico Racing, Adam Ruppel.

Riders can also save money and time by pre-registering for the full series up until April 22nd. This unbeatable value in racing includes entry to seven events, an official Plastiglas Ontario Cup Series t-shirt, and entry to Ontario's only Canada Cup of the season at Hardwood Hills.

For more information, and a complete listing of event dates, be sure to log onto the newly revamped Chico Racing website: www.chicoracing.com